Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-06-06

the long-boat; the sheriff and the suc.
tioneer try to help him off; they can't
help him off; he must go down; no Christ
in the ship. Here are young men lust
starting out in life. Your life will be
made up of sunshine and shadow. There
may be in it arctic blasts, or tropical
tornadoes; | know not what Is before
you, but know If you have Christ with
you all shall be well.
You may seem to get along without the
religion of Christ while everything goes
smoothly, but after awhile, when sorrow
hovers over the soul, when the waves of
trial dash clear over the hurricane deck
and the docks are crowded with piratical
disssters-Oh, what would you do then
without Christ in the ship? Young man,
take God for your portion, God for your
guide, God for your help; then ell IS well,
all is well for time, all shall be we'll for
ever. Blessed is that msn who puts in
the Lord his trust. He shall
NEVER BE COMPOUNDED.
But my subject also impresses me with
the fact that when people start to follow
Christ they must not expect smooth sail
ing.
These disciples got into the small
boats, and l have no doubt they said:
"What beautiful day this is! What q
smooth sea! What bright sky this is!
How delightful IS sailing in this boat!
And as 70 the waves under the keel of
the boat, why, they only make the motion
of our little boat the more delightful"
But when the winds swept down, and the
sea was tossed into wrath, then they
found that following Christ was not
smooth sailing. So you have found il;
SO | have found it. Did you ever notice
the end Of the life of the apostles of
Jesus Christ? You would say if ever
men ought to have had smooth life,
smooth departure, then those men, the
disciples of Jesus Christ, ought to have
had such departure and such q life
st. James lost his head St. Philip
was hung to death on g pillar. St. Mat
thew had his life dashed out with hal
bert. st. Mark was dragged 60 death
through the streets. St. james the Less
WAS beaten to death with a fuller's CLUB.
st. Thomas was struck through with
spear. They did not find following
Christ smooth sailing. OhS how they
were all tossed in the TEMPEST! John
Huss in the fire, Hugh McKail in the
hour of martyrdom, the Al0igenses, the
Waldenses, the Scotch cevenanters-did
they find it smooth sailing?
But why 90 to history when / can
come into this audience to-day and
find score of Illustrations of
the truth Of this subject? That
young man in the store try
ing to serve God, while his employer
SCOTS ct Christianity; the young men in
the same store antsgonistic to the Chris
tian religion, teasing him, tormenting
him about his religion,
TRYING TO GET HIM MAD.
They succeed in getting him mad, say
ing: "You're q pretty Christian" Does
this young man find it smooth sailing
when he tries to follow Christ? Here is
q Christian girl. Her father despises the
Christian religion; her mother GespiseS
the Christian religion; her brothers and
sisters sCof at the Christian religion; she
can hardly find quiet place in which to
say her prayers. Did she find it smooth
sailing when she tried to follow Jesus
Christ? Oh, no; all who would live the
life of the Christian religion must suffer
persecution; if you do not find it in one
way, you will get it in another way.
The question was asked: "Who are
those nearest the thrOne?" and the an
come up out of great tribuletion great
failing as the original has it; great fail
ing, great pounding and had their robes
washed and made white in the blood OF
the Lamb I" Oh, do not be disheartened.
Oh, child Of God, take courage. You are
in glorious companionship God will see
you through al these trials, and he will
deliver you.
NV Snhiact 6 lGp irr1r1rassac ma with fhn
fact that good people sometimes get very
much frightened.
In the tones of these disci Piles as they
rushed into the back part of the boat,
find they are frightened almost to death.
They say: "Master, cerest thou not that
weEperish?" They had no reason to be
frightened, for Christ was in the boat.
suppose if we had been there we would
have been Just as much affrighted. Per
hsps more.
In ell ages very good people get very
much enlightened. 1t is often so in our
day, and men say: "Why, look at the
bad lectures; look at the spiritualistic
societies; look st the various errors 60
ing over the Church of God; we are 60
ing to founder; the Church IS
GOING TO PERISH;
she is going down" Oh, how many good
people are sffrightened by lniquity in our
dag, and think the church of Jesus
Christ is going to be overthrown, and are
Just as much afrightened as were deCi-
pies OF my text. Don't worry, don't fret,
as though iniquity was going to triumph
over righteousness.
a lion goes into cavern to sleep, He
lies down with his shaggy name covering
the paws. Meanwhile the spiders spin a
web across the mouth of the cavern, and
say: "We have captured him" Gossa-
mer thread after gosssmer thread is spun
until the whole front of the cavern is
covered with the spiders web, and the
spiders say "The lion Is done; the lion
is fast" After while the lion has got
through sleeping; he rouses himself, he
shakes his name, we wslks out into the
sunlight; he does not even know the
spiders web is spun, and with his voice
he shakes the mountain.
So men come spinning their sophistries
and skepticism about Jesus Christ; He
seems to be sleeping. They say; ave
have captured the Lord; He will never
come forth again upon the nation; Christ
is captured forever. His religion will
never make any conquest among men"
But after while the lion of the Tribe of
judah will rouse himself and come forth
to shake nightly the nations WHAT'S